(May 14, 2010)--The UTSA College of Education and Human Development (COEHD) recently welcomed a delegation of Malawi diplomats based in Washington, D.C., and representatives of the Malawi Department of Ministry for Education, Science and Technology.

Over the five-day visit, the delegation visited area schools to learn about bilingual education programs, visited with UTSA deans and vice presidents and also had a chance to experience San Antonio's Fiesta spirit by attending the Texas Cavaliers River Parade.

One of the schools the delegation observed was San Antonio ISD's Bonham Academy, located just west of downtown. The bilingual curriculum at Bonham is recognized around the state for producing students that master both the English and Spanish languages.

The delegates visited Ms. Sanchez' fourth grade class where students were creating video "trailers," similar to those seen in movie theaters to promote upcoming feature films. In Spanish and education-based, the students illustrated and narrated the videos with background music to promote books they enjoyed reading and would recommend to their fellow students.

"We are learning how the schools teach language, more specifically about reading at the earliest age possible," said Rafael Agabu, deputy director of the Ministry for Education, Science and Technology. "In Malawi, we have Chiccewa, our local language, and English, which we teach separately. Here, they are interchanging the languages and this is an area we are interested in and can learn from."

Down the hall in Ms. Rosales' first grade classroom, the students amazed the delegates with their knowledge of English, Spanish and Chinese.

"We want our students to be prepared for the workforce to compete in a global market," said Janet Perez, Bonham Academy principal. "These students have so much to contribute and these experiences are going to only enhance that preparedness."

When the tour was over, as a memento of their visit, the students presented and pinned homemade Fiesta medals on the delegates to take back home with them on their 31-hour flight.

The visit was in conjunction with COEHD's "Read Malawi" project, an international humanitarian effort with the U.S. Agency for International Development to provide educational materials and teacher training to improve literacy rates of children in Africa. The three-year, $13-million cooperative agreement between UTSA and the Republic of Malawi will provide 120 book titles in both English and Chichewan, the native language of Malawi, to 1,000 of the country's 5,000 public schools.

Events

UTSA English professor Kinitra Brooks will discuss her new book, “Searching for Sycorax: Black Women’s Hauntings of Contemporary Horror.” The book highlights the unique position of black women in the horror genre as both characters and creators.
H-E-B Student Union, Travis Room (HSU 2.212), Main Campus

The UTSA community is invited to this town hall meeting to learn more about progress of the Strategic Enrollment Presidential initiative.
Buena Vista Street Building, Aula Canaria (BVB 1.328), Downtown Campus

The Provost's Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council hosts this forum to share and further explain the results of the survey and to offer the opportunity for faculty and staff to provide feedback.
Durango Building, La Villita Room (DB 1.116), Downtown Campus

For more than 20 years, Josie Méndez-Negrete, a UTSA associate professor in Mexican American Studies, has endured the emotional journey of watching her son, Tito, struggle with schizophrenia. Her powerful account is the first memoir by a Mexican American author to share the devastation and hope a family experiences in dealing with this mental illness.
H-E-B Student Union, Travis Room (HSU 2.212), Main Campus

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